Media makes horny, aggressive teens hornier, more aggressive

In the latest "these rotten kids today" news, researchers from Wake Forest's Baptist Medical Center are making the media rounds, talking about a study based on data collected seven years ago that suggests teens who watched pro wrestling on TV were more likely to behave violently than other kids. And girls, they say, are more influenced than boys. Here's a snippet from the AP story:

"Is this data dated? The answer is no," [pediatrics professor Robert] DuRant said. "If you look at the Nielsen ratings (for wresting) on cable TV, over the years, they have not changed."

Oh, baloney. Wrestling ratings now are pretty abysmal compared to the Austin 3:16/NWO/The Rock heydays of the 90s. Vince McMahon is reportedly considering legal action over what he calls "junk science."

In other news likely to encourage vigilant birth control among easily frightened adults, a study suggests kids who load their iPods with raunchy songs are more likely to be doin' it:

"The more teens listened to degrading sexual music content, the more likely they were to subsequently initiate intercourse and progress in [other], noncoital activity," [think tank researcher Steven C.] Martino and colleagues report. "These music effects held, even though 18 other predictors of sexual behavior were taken into account."

No studies today about what role parents may have in controlling their kids' rabid consumption of filthy and violent entertainment.

Both of studies cited here are in the August issue of Pediatrics.